Edenton Memorial Day speakers: Remember fallen, their families

A crowd of more than 50 braved drizzling rain on Monday to attend a Memorial Day service sponsored by American Legion Post 40 at Edenton’s Veterans Memorial.

As people assembled for the program, the sound system played recordings of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “Day of Infamy” speech delivered after the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, and a selection of popular patriotic tunes, including “God Bless America,” “Remember Pearl Harbor,” and “Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition.”

Bob Olivera, commander of American Legion Post 40, presided over the event. Post Chaplain Calvin Capehart gave the invocation, and Ray Ohlert sang the national anthem.

“Memorial Day is more than a long weekend or the unofficial start of summer,” Olivera told the audience. “It is a solemn reminder of the bravery, dedication, and selflessness exhibited by our fallen heroes.

“These courageous men and women were parents, children, spouses, partners, siblings, friends, and buddies,” he continued. “Each one had dreams, hopes, and loved ones. As we remember them, let us also acknowledge the families who bear the loss of their loved ones.”

After wreaths were placed at each of the Veteran’s Memorial’s five service stones honoring the five different branches of the U.S. military, guest speaker Michelle D. Lewis discussed the meaning of Memorial Day and military sacrifice.

Lewis is a project manager for the N.C. Department of Labor, where she organizes employment opportunities for veterans. She also works to provide counseling and workshops for veterans about to enter civilian life.

Although not a veteran herself, Lewis is the daughter of a career military officer, the wife of an army officer, and the mother of a soldier. Having grown up in the military, she shared examples she had witnessed of sacrifice, loss and courage.

“In preparing for today, I sought guidance from the scriptures,” Lewis said. “Romans 13:7 says, “Give to everyone what you owe them. If you owe taxes, pay taxes. If (you owe) revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.’” She added that Memorial Day is the day Americans set aside to pay honor to veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice — with their life — to secure freedoms for their country men and women.

Ohlert then sang the military hymn “The Mansions of the Lord.” Capehart gave a benediction, after which a pair of buglers, Chris Nagle and Dan Deysher, played taps. They performed the tribute as a melody followed by haunting echoes.